News and Notes for Friends of the TC Daily Planet
https://www.tcdailyplanet.net
Volume 1, Number 19
May 11, 2006
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IN THIS ISSUE:
* Early traffic numbers are encouraging
* Earthlink is on board
* Soccer coverage coming
* Local political podcast added to Daily Planet menu
* More Web site changes
* Kudos
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Early traffic numbers are encouraging
Despite our small-budget launch last week, traffic to the Daily Planet site has been strong and steady, averaging about 1,000 visits a day since May 1. We’ll be working to increase those number as we go forward. Thanks to all of our friends and partners for spreading the word!
Earthlink is on board
TCMA board chair Jeremy Iggers and Daily Planet managing editor Craig Cox spoke by phone earlier this week with representatives of Earthlink, which is constructing a Wi-Fi pilot project on the Near North Side of town. They told us they were looking to the Daily Planet to provide local content for the pilot project and for the citywide Wi-Fi site, should they win the bid. The pilot projects are expected to be operational by June 1. The other company bidding on the city’s Wi-Fi system, U.S. Internet, has already agreed to use Daily Planet content on their pilot site.
Soccer coverage coming
Reporter Anthony de Sam Lazaro has agreed to provide ongoing coverage of our local profession soccer club, the Minnesota Thunder, through the spring and summer season. Look for features and game summaries later this month, when the Thunder return from an extended series of road games.
Local political podcast added to Daily Planet menu
The popular Inside Minnesota Politics podcast is now featured on the Daily Planet. Editor Mike McIntee produces weekly podcasts on the “site”:http://www.insideminnesotapolitics.com that includes on-the-scene reporting of convention activities and interviews with candidates.
More Web site changes
Check out the Daily Planet homepage to see the latest user-friendly changes, including our “Planet Cafe” forum site, the more elegant “Voices” button, and the “Inside the Daily Planet This Week” digest at the bottom of the page. While you’re there, don’t hesitate to click on the “Donate” box and become a member.
Kudos . . .
Thanks, as usual, to the skillful (and patient) Web guys at Triangle Park Creative, who have put up with all our requests over the past week. . . . Check out Doug McGill’s new essay on “journalism and grief”:https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/1035 in the media section. . . . And if you weren’t at last Sunday’s May Day festival at Powderhorn Park, photo editor Bonnie Wilson has put together a nice collection of images from that event in the Photo Gallery. . . . Kudos also to local freelancer Dwight Hobbes, who contributed a great review of William Swanson’s new book “Dial M: The Murder of Carol Thompson”:https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/989 in the Books Section. . . . Reporter Bill Hoffman of The Bridge newspaper, which covers the University of Minnesota community, did a nice job unraveling the State Senate’s “Gopher stadium bill”:https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/1025 in a story we featured on the front page earlier this week. . . . Also worth noting is Bao Vang’s piece on two Minneapolis high school “drop-outs”:https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/1030 and their quest to regain their footing in the world. Bao is a student at St. Thomas and part of their News South online journalism project. . . . Transportation editor Ken Avidor also did some good reporting this week, when he revealed that the planned “Bus Rapid Transit plan for 35W”:https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/1018 would not pass the state legislature this session. . . . As always, thanks to all of you who have contributed your energy to the Daily Planet. We couldn’t do it without you.
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The Weekly Planet is published every Wednesday for friends of the Twin Cities Daily Planet and the Twin Cities Media Alliance. 2600 E. Franklin Ave., #2, Minneapolis, MN 55406. Phone: 612/436-9196; Email: craig@tcdailyplanet.net; Web: www.tcdailyplanet.net. If you wish to discontinue receiving this newsletter, simply drop us a line to that effect and we’ll take you off the list. Thanks.
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